Lior | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lior Attar |
| Born | Rishon LeZion, Israel |
| Genres | Indie |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Senso Unico, ABC Classics |
| Website | lior |
Lior Attar, better known simply asLior,[1] is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based inMelbourne. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio albumAutumn Flow, which featured singles such as "Daniel", the title track and hissignature song "This Old Love".
Lior was born inRishon LeZion,Israel and he and his family moved to Sydney when he was 10.[2][3] They made their first Australian home inLane Cove, and Lior studied atKillara High School and theUniversity of New South Wales.[4]
In 2000, Lior released his debut extended playThe Soul Suicide EP.
In October 2004, Lior recorded his debut studio albumAutumn Flow. He sent it to a number of record labels but failed to secure a deal, and released the album independently, late in 2004. In 2015, Lior recalled the first time he heard a song of his on the radio station,Triple J; "I'd just done the so-called tour to launch the album but it didn't have any sort of exposure or radio play, so no-one really knew what it was. I went up and down the east coast with a band and lost all my money. I was feeling really defeated and quite sorry for myself, going 'how am I going to do this', and the song ("This Old Love") came on."[5]Autumn Flow made its ARIA chart debut in early 2005, peaking at number 45. Lior has toured with theWOMAD festival in 2005 to the UK, Singapore andKorea. Lior also performed at the Spiegeltent throughout the world, and theMake Poverty History concerts in Australia.[citation needed]
AtARIA Music Awards of 2005, the album was nominated for three awards;Breakthrough Artist,Best Male Artist, andBest Independent Release.[6] In 2005, the album was one of the fifteen nominees for radio stationtriple j's inauguralJ Award,[7] given to "an album of outstanding achievement as an Australian musical work of art – for its creativity, innovation, musicianship and contribution to Australian music.[8]Autumn Flow was certified gold byARIA in 2006.
In February 2006, Lior released a live album,Doorways of My Mind, recorded at the Northcote Social Club. The album consisted mostly of tracks fromAutumn Flow as well as some new material such as "Diego and the Village Girl", "Burying Chances" and "Avinu Malkeinu" (a traditional prayer). At theARIA Music Awards of 2006, the album was nominated for two awards;Best Independent Release andBest Blues and Roots Album.
Lior moved from Sydney to Melbourne in 2007.[9]
In February 2008, Lior released his second studio album,Corner of an Endless Road. The album debuted at number 13 on theARIA charts. At theARIA Music Awards of 2008, the album was nominated for theBest Independent Release.[10]
In 2008, Lior toured extensively, both in his home country of Australia and abroad including feature performances at theEdinburgh Festival. In early 2009, he performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for a series of outdoor concerts. In 2009, Lior launched the Shadows and Light Tour, a collaboration with renowned shadow artists Stephen Mushin and Anna Parry; an interactive performance combining Lior's music with live shadow art performance and featured a season at theSydney Opera House.[11]
In 2009, Lior was approached by children's television showGiggle and Hoot series producer Clare Gerber, and was asked to write a song. He agreed thinking "this could be fun" and wrote "Hoot's Lullaby". The song played nightly onABC 2 just before 7:00pm, and marked the end of children's programming on the channel for the day.[5][12][13]
In October 2010, Lior released his third studio albumTumbling into the Dawn. The album peaked at number 26 on the ARIA charts.
In 2011 Lior wrote and recorded "Hey Hootabelle" for Giggle and Hoot. At theAPRA Music Awards of 2012, the song won the APRA Award for Best Original Song Composed for Screen.[14]
In September 2013, Lior andNigel Westlake premieredCompassion at theSydney Opera House.Compassion is an orchestral song cycle for voice and orchestra consisting of original melodies and orchestration set to ancient texts in Hebrew and Arabic, all centred around the wisdom of compassion.[15][16][17][18] The performance was recorded and the album ofCompassion was released in November 2013. At theARIA Music Awards of 2014, it won theARIA Award for Best Classical Album. Lior premieredCompassion in the US with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and was subsequently awarded the Austin Table Critics' Award for Best Symphonic Performance of 2015-16 and in 2016 Lior also won the Melbourne Music Prize Civic Choice Award forCompassion.[citation needed]
In March 2014, Lior released his fourth studio albumScattered Reflections. The album peaked at number 23 on the ARIA charts.
In April 2015, Lior was invited as the sole Australian artist to perform at the prestigious 100 year anniversary of the landing atGallipoli, performing his song "Safety of Distance" with the Gallipoli choir leading in to the dawn service.[19]
In June 2015,Autumn Flow was re-released as a tenth anniversary edition.[20]
From December 2015, Lior played the part of Motel Kamzoil inFiddler on the Roof atMelbourne'sPrincess Theatre opposite musical theatre starAnthony Warlow.[21]
In 2016, Lior worked with producer Tony Buchen to write an orchestral score forThe Wider Earth, a Queensland theatre production based on Charles Darwin's journey on HMSBeagle.[22][23][24] At the 2016 Matilda Theatre Awards, the music won Best Original Theatre Score.[25]
In 2016 Lior co-wrote and recorded a children's album withThe Idea of North andElena Kats-Chernin for the HUSH Foundation. Created for the dual purpose of raising funds for the children's hospital as well as making original music to be played in the wards, the albumA Piece of Quiet featured original music written to lyrics written by the children in the hospital wards and was released in October 2016. At theARIA Music Awards of 2017, the album was nominated forBest Children's Album.
Throughout 2018 Lior toured with Australian pianist and composerPaul Grabowsky in performing a collection of Lior's songs adapted and reinterpreted for piano and voice.[26] In 2019 Lior featured as the guest vocalist for the Australian Chamber Orchestra's 'Luminous' tour which toured nationally in Australia as well as performances in the Barbican in London.[27]
In September 2018, Lior released his fifth studio albumBetween You and Me.[28]
In 2018 Lior was awarded a Fellowship of theAustralian Institute of Music in recognition of outstanding achievements and services to Australian music.
In 2019, Lior formed the musical group Air Land Sea with Nadav Kahn and Tony Buchen. The group released four singles and a self-titled studio album across 2019.[29]
In 2019 Lior was awarded theSidney Myer Creative Fellowship, an award ofA$160,000 over two years, given to mid-career creatives and thought leaders.[30]
As part of the 2021 WOMADelaide concert series, Lior performed his symphonyCompassion alongside composerNigel Westlake and theAdelaide Symphony Orchestra.[31]
In 2021, Lior collaborated with fellow singer-songwriter Domini Forster onAnimal in Hiding. Lior said "She's been my support act for awhile now, after awhile, she became the backing vocalist in my band and then leading up to my last solo album, we decided we'd have a crack at writing a song together."[31] The EP is scheduled for released on 15 October 2021.
In a 2015 interview, Lior mentioned working for the charities Cambodian Children's Trust andGlobal Poverty Project as well as supporting Oscar's Law.[32]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [33] | |||
| Autumn Flow |
| 45 | |
| Corner of an Endless Road |
| 13 | |
| Tumbling into the Dawn |
| 26 | |
| Scattered Reflections |
| 23 | |
| Between You and Me |
| — |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [35] | ||
| Doorways of My Mind |
| 98 |
| Compassion (withNigel Westlake &Sydney Symphony Orchestra) |
| — |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| A Piece of Quiet (The Hush Collection, Vol 16) (featuring Lior,The Idea of North &Elena Kats-Chernin) |
|
| Ali's Wedding (soundtrack) (Nigel Westlake &Sydney Symphony Orchestra withJoseph Tawadros,Slava Grigoryan & Lio) |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| 3-2-1 |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Soul Suicide EP |
|
| Animal in Hiding |
|
 | This list of songs or music-related items isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(October 2021) |
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Burying Chances" | non-album single |
| 2005 | "This Old Love" | Autumn Flow[36] |
| "Daniel" | ||
| "Autumn Flow" | ||
| 2007 | "Heal Me" | Corner of an Endless Road |
| 2008 | "I'll Forget You"(withSia) | |
| "Simple Ben"[37](withBrian Cadd,Mike Rudd and Old Man River) | Morning of the Earth (soundtrack) | |
| 2010 | "I Thought I Could Sing On My Own"[38] | 'Tumbling Into The Dawn |
| 2011 | "It's Only Natural"[39](withEmma Louise) | They Will Have Their Way |
| 2014 | "My Grandfather" | Scattered Reflections |
| 2018 | "Real Love"[40] | Between You and Me |
| 2021 | "Gloria"(with Domini Forster)[41] | Animal in Hiding |
| "Honest Mistake"(with Domini Forster)[42] |
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally asAIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006[43] | Autumn Flow | Best Performing Independent Album | Nominated |
| himself | Independent Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2008[43] | Corner of an Endless Road | Best Independent Album | Nominated |
| Best Independent Blues and Roots Album | Nominated | ||
| himself | Best Independent Artist | Nominated |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. Lior has won two awards from nine nominations.[44]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Autumn Flow | Best Male Artist | Nominated |
| Breakthrough Artist - Album | Nominated | ||
| Best Independent Release | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | Doorways of My Mind | Best Blues & Roots Album | Nominated |
| Best Independent Release | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Corner of an Endless Road | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Compassion (withNigel Westlake &Sydney Symphony Orchestra) | Best Classical Album | Won |
| 2017 | Ali's Wedding (soundtrack) (with Nigel Westlake, Sydney Symphony Orchestra,Joseph Tawadros &Slava Grigoryan) | Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album | Won |
| A Piece of Quiet (The Hush Collection, Vol 16) (withThe Idea of North & Elena Kats-Chernin) | Best Children's Album | Nominated |
TheAPRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by theAustralasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Lior has won one award from five nominations.[45]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Daniel" | Most Performed Blues & Roots Work | Nominated |
| 2009 | "Heal Me" | Nominated | |
| 2012 | "Hey Hootabelle" forGiggle and Hoot, written by Lior | Best Original Song Composed for the Screen | Won |
| Hootabelle | Best Music for Children's Television | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Compassion(with Nigel Westlake | Work of the Year – Orchestral | Nominated |
TheJ Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio stationTriple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005[46] | Autumn Flow | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
